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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: bat · rush · current · club · root · pitcher · mine · trunk

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. root — the cause
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — for dancing
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — a group
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. current — electric
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. club — for golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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