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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a cup
  7. current — of water
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mug — a face
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. shower — rain
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — to rob

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