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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 116 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — of water
  4. pop — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — electric
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. field — for sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — to rip

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