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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. current — happening now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — of a word
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cold — an illness
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — of water
  21. current — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — not warm

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