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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — electric
  14. degree — from a university
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bulb — for light
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — of water
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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