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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — the earth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — ground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — of water
  20. ground — crushed
  21. land — a country
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — a position

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