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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. net — for catching
  9. clip — for paper
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bound — certain
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a great time
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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