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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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468
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: rock · pitcher · spring · fan · pit · march · current · safe

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — electric
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. current — happening now
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. march — music
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rock — a stone
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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