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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: tear · pitch · march · fork · saw · mouse · current · shower

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. current — happening now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — completely
  17. current — of water
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. march — music
  24. current — electric

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