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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
468
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: cold · patient · spring · current · root · wave · field · safe

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — a subject
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — of water
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a word
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cold — an illness
  24. spring — the season

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