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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. mark — a trace
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a grade
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. land — ground
  13. tear — to rip
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — an injury
  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