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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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Word bank
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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: cap · patient · tear · face · ground · current · fan · row

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — to confront
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — of water
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ground — a position
  15. row — a line
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. row — to paddle
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cap — of ice

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