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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — happening now
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. current — of water
  19. rash — a series
  20. current — electric
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — 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