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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — happening now
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. cold — not warm
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — an aim
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cold — an illness
  16. object — a thing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. object — to protest
  24. tear — from crying

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