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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: mouse · current · pound · drill · lie · land · patient · race

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. current — electric
  2. race — a contest
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — ground
  5. current — happening now
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. land — to come down
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. drill — army training
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pound — for dogs
  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