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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mug — a face
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — electric
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. charge — a price
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — in control
  19. current — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — to rob
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — a cup

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