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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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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: current · row · chair · spell · branch · patient · rest · pound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — of water
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — electric
  7. row — a line
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — magic
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pound — a weight
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — a division
  24. spell — letters

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