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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. land — ground
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — a country
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — to come down
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — electric
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — of a river
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. field — a subject
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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