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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: cabinet · tear · present · rule · patient · snap · spring · current

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — a coil
  4. present — there
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. present — a gift
  9. tear — to rip
  10. present — the time now
  11. current — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. rule — a law
  14. current — happening now
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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