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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: bank · rash · current · shower · fine · roll · firm · hide

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. bank — for money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — all right
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — decided
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — a list
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. shower — rain
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. firm — steady
  18. roll — a cake
  19. firm — a company
  20. current — happening now
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rash — a series
  23. fine — high quality
  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