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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: wind · fan · bat · wax · pound · current · pitcher · suit

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. suit — in cards
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. current — happening now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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