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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: fan · shower · rest · court · current · lean · fine · saw

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fine — all right
  3. current — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to bend
  7. current — electric
  8. lean — thin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — a break
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. court — of law
  24. lean — to rest against

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