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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. ground — the earth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — happening now
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tear — from crying

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