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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: date · leaves · current · cue · spring · scale · club · shower

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — rain
  4. cue — a hint
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. current — electric
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cue — for pool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. date — the fruit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. club — a group
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. scale — in music
  23. current — of water
  24. club — for golf

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