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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — music
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — electric
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — to crush
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — to drill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bore — gave birth

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