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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a song
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — to keep track
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — of water
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — to tire
  20. current — happening now
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a path

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