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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — a country
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — to come down
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — happening now

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