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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. current — electric
  4. deal — to handle
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — in a road
  8. kid — to tease
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — the season
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. kid — child

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