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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 124 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mug — a face
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hand — help
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. current — electric
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  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