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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · fall · current · field · stick · court · march · shower

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — to wash
  3. current — electric
  4. field — a subject
  5. march — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — farmland
  8. current — of water
  9. shower — rain
  10. field — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — the month

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