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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — a subject
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. current — electric
  7. net — after costs
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — for sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — for catching
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — in sport

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