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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: current · branch · mug · pitcher · date · shower · mark · cold

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. current — electric
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. shower — to wash
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — of water
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — an illness
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mark — a trace
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mark — a grade
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. current — happening now
  24. cold — not warm

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