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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — tied together
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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