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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 · mine · fall · mug · rest · swing · snap · shower

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. shower — to wash
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — a face
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — a break
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — rain
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. current — electric
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a cup

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