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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — happening now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — to crush
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — of water
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — the sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — a container
  24. drill — army training

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