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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: fan · tear · racket · current · pop · land · pitcher · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — electric
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — music
  8. land — to come down
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — of water
  15. land — a country
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. tear — from crying

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