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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: mine · content · fork · current · shower · present · rash · coach

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — rain
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — there
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rash — a series

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