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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. current — electric
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. current — of water
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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