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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — to rip
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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