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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: shower · hand · current · chest · wound · rush · content · press

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. current — happening now
  8. content — the amount
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — electric
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — rain
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. content — happy

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