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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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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: club · current · rash · spring · pit · band · patient · lie

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. club — for dancing
  2. rash — a series
  3. current — electric
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a ring
  8. club — a group
  9. current — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pit — a hole
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. band — a music group
  17. current — happening now
  18. pit — in a race
  19. club — for golf
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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