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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — happening now
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. current — electric
  12. lie — to recline
  13. present — there
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — clever
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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