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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 116 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 · tear · cabinet · firm · rash · hide · fan · current

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — steady
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. current — electric
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — decided
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — hasty
  22. current — happening now
  23. firm — a company
  24. current — of water

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