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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — humankind
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — of water
  24. race — a contest

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