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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. shower — to wash
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. shower — rain
  7. row — to paddle
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — to tease
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. current — happening now
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — army training
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — a price
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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