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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: scale · pitcher · current · bat · trunk · shower · hand · jam

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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