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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. can — a tin
  5. current — electric
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — a law
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. firm — decided
  12. current — of water
  13. rule — government
  14. spring — of water
  15. can — to be able to
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spring — a coil
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — the season

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