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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — happening now
  5. toast — bread
  6. bore — to drill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wind — moving air
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — a video
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — electric
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rock — a stone
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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