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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 · game · court · bank · mug · tear · fan · straw

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — of water
  7. bank — of a river
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bank — for money
  11. current — happening now
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. court — of law
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of a king
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — from crying
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — from crying

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