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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — happening now
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — a position
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. current — of water
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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