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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: wound · current · arm · bore · pitcher · mine · track · fan

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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 — in baseball
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — electric
  6. bore — to drill
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — of water
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — happening now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  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