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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — a box
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — a sick person

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