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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cell — a phone
  9. file — a document
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — in biology
  13. current — electric
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — moving air
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — boats
  23. current — happening now
  24. mouse — the animal

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