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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: bay · cold · current · bark · sharp · stand · hand · shower

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. current — happening now
  3. stand — to bear
  4. shower — rain
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. shower — to wash
  19. current — electric
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — of water
  24. bay — a horse colour

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