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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. current — happening now
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — of water
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — finally
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. current — electric
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. prune — to trim
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. race — the arms race
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mine — for digging

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