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

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — electric
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — happening now
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. dip — to dunk

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