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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 · bat · pitcher · wake · bulb · can · row · cell

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — electric
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bulb — for light
  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