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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — of water
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — electric
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — government
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to spend time

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