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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: trunk · current · net · hand · squash · rock · date · shower

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — after costs
  3. rock — a stone
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. net — in sport
  9. shower — to wash
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — happening now
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hand — help
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. shower — rain
  22. squash — to crush
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — in cards

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