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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — thin
  11. charge — in control
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pop — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. patient — a sick person

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