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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. current — electric
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — employees
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — of water
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — a stick

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