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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — a country
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — obliged
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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