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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 120 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: key · lie · bound · hide · current · shower · bulb · fork

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — rain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — in music
  22. current — electric
  23. key — the most important part
  24. current — of water

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