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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 · pitcher · hand · fine · mine · wound · toast · perch

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — help
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — the fish

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