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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 · current · ground · prune · shower · arm · spell · wake

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — electric
  4. spell — a short time
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — crushed
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — to wash
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — of water

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