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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bank — for money
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. current — electric
  16. last — finally
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — a subject
  19. last — to go on
  20. current — of water
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. field — farmland

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