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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. club — a group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — for a lock
  10. current — electric
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. current — happening now
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. current — of water
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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