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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cold · leaves · perch · shower · deal · cue · ground

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. current — happening now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ground — a position
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cue — for pool
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. perch — the fish
  21. current — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — the earth

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