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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: lie · pitcher · present · saw · shower · bear · current · club

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. present — there
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — electric
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. present — a gift

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