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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: saw · pitcher · lie · current · stock · jam · wind · date

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — shares
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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