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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: squash · hand · file · can · ground · current · wind · saw

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. file — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. file — a line of people
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. current — electric
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — a tin

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