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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. current — electric
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. shower — rain
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. row — a line
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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