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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 116 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: rush · current · scale · march · shower · suit · last · tear

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. last — final
  3. suit — in cards
  4. march — music
  5. current — electric
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — to wash
  8. scale — in music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. shower — rain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. last — finally
  20. tear — to rip
  21. last — to go on
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rush — hurry
  24. current — of water

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