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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: prune · bay · content · kick · current · temple · fan · shower

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. current — electric
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — happening now
  9. content — the amount
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kick — in football
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. shower — rain
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. content — happy

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