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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
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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 · spring · pit · root · wound · current · snap · file

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to click
  22. spring — the season
  23. current — happening now
  24. pit — a hole

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