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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: land · shower · fan · straw · chest · current · stand · mark

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. land — a country
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. mark — a trace
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. land — to come down
  20. current — electric
  21. land — ground
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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