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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — farmland
  4. tube — the underground
  5. current — happening now
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — child
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. field — a subject
  13. current — of water
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — electric
  19. tube — a container
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitcher — a jug

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