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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. club — for golf
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — a thing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. object — to protest
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — rain
  23. tube — a container
  24. club — a group

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