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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: pitcher · can · shower · file · bay · current · staff · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. current — of water
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. staff — a stick
  15. file — a document
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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