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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. band — a ring
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — to drill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — to tire
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — of ice
  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