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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bound — certain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. deal — to handle
  9. net — in sport
  10. current — electric
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — after costs
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bound — obliged
  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