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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. shower — rain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. current — happening now
  11. club — a group
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — to wash
  14. swing — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — to grow
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — electric
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. club — for golf
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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