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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · chair · root · current · hide · safe · face · band

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. root — the cause
  3. current — electric
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. band — a ring
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — happening now
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a leader
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — of a word
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — to point toward
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. band — a music group
  23. face — to confront
  24. patient — a sick person

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