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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 116 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: lean · current · prune · pitcher · game · drill · track · fan

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. current — of water
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — wild animals

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