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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fork — in a road
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — a box
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — hurry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — for light

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