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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 120 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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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: swing · current · shower · lie · firm · present · snap · wind

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to click
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. present — there
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — a company
  10. present — a gift
  11. current — happening now
  12. swing — music
  13. current — of water
  14. present — the time now
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — electric
  21. firm — steady
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — decided
  24. lie — to recline

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