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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: bank · hand · cabinet · bear · pop · net · pitcher · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pop — soda
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — after costs
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. current — of water
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. current — electric
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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