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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: pitcher · spring · roll · tear · current · can · cue · race

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. cue — a hint
  18. race — a contest
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a list
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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