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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. bore — to tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — electric
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. root — the cause
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — of a word
  15. current — of water
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — to drill
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bore — gave birth

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