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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — of water
  3. press — newspapers
  4. plane — a tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — a partner
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — electric
  14. mate — to breed
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. press — to push
  21. current — happening now
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mouse — the animal

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