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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: race · club · patient · pop · current · stick

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — electric
  4. club — for golf
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pop — music
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for dancing
  12. race — a contest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. current — happening now
  18. club — a group

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