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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: current · pop · straw · race · trunk · pitcher · wave · hand

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — in cards
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. race — a contest
  13. current — electric
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — help
  17. pop — soda
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. race — the arms race
  24. trunk — of a tree

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