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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. current — electric
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. net — for catching
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. plane — a tool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — after costs
  18. current — happening now
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — the earth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  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