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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. current — of water
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — army training
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — an injury
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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