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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. current — of water
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. press — a publisher
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  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