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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. field — a subject
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. squash — to crush
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — for 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