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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: straw · cap · shower · mate · bark · game · current · season

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. current — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — to breed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. season — of the year
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — of ice

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