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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 · pass · fan · bat · rock · wind · prune · game

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — a match
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — a stone

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