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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a ring
  9. ground — a position
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — the fish
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — happening now
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — of water

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