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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — for paper
  6. land — ground
  7. clip — to cut
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — of water
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — electric
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. land — a country

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