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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — of water
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — a break
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mark — a grade
  24. current — electric

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