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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. current — of water
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bound — obliged
  13. current — happening now
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — electric
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tube — a container
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — tied together

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