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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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468
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 · band · racket · pitcher · fan · game · prune · shower

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — electric
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — happening now
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — a match
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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