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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 · row · jam · shower · wind · file · pitcher · fan

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — of water
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a line of people
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — happening now
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — to cool the air

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