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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — happening now
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — of water

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