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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. current — electric
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. field — a subject
  6. present — there
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — farmland
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — for sport
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a trace
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. present — the time now
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. present — a gift

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