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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stock — goods
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — an illness
  17. current — happening now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stock — shares

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