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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — money
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — a stick
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — to come down
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — happening now
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — a city
  22. staff — employees
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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