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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — happening now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. current — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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