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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: bear · last · hide · patient · tear · cue · current · race

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. race — humankind
  3. current — electric
  4. cue — a signal
  5. current — of water
  6. last — finally
  7. cue — a hint
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — a contest
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. current — happening now

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