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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: chest · object · bass · drill · stock · current · patient · saw

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chest — a box
  6. object — to protest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — low music
  11. stock — goods
  12. bass — the fish
  13. current — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — a thing
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. drill — the tool
  24. current — electric

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