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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. march — the month
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lean — thin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. lean — to bend
  14. current — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. march — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lean — to rest against
  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