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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: sharp · field · nail · current · band · hand · shower · pitch

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitch — completely
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — a subject
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — help
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — clever
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — of water
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. current — happening now
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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