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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: snap · tube · band · current · file · ground · suit · shower

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — rain
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ground — a position
  5. shower — to wash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — clothes
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — a container
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a document
  19. current — electric
  20. snap — to click
  21. file — a tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — in a tire

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