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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. drill — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to sink
  5. perch — the fish
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. field — a subject
  8. current — happening now
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. field — farmland
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — to come from
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. current — electric
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. patient — a sick person

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