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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — there
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — the time now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. current — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — the underground

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