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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — a phone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — a position
  11. staff — employees
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — the earth
  15. current — happening now
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — of water
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — the fruit

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