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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: pound · game · shower · pass · clip · coach · current · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. game — wild animals
  5. clip — a video
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bore — to drill
  11. current — happening now
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. game — a match
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pass — a permit
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. shower — to wash

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