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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — army training
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. current — electric
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. stand — for spectators

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