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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a leader
  3. root — of a word
  4. current — of water
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — to eat
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chair — to sit on

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