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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · patient · saw · trunk · current · tear · cue · snap

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. current — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. current — happening now
  6. rock — a stone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. snap — to click
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. current — electric
  18. cue — a signal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tear — from crying
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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