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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — a tool
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. season — of the year
  8. current — of water
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lean — to bend
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a car
  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