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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · current · cue · chair · bowl · bore · shower · bank

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. current — of water
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com