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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: perch · prune · bound · current · jam · kid · patient · mine

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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 — happening now
  2. kid — child
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — obliged
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — electric
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — certain
  20. perch — the fish
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. kid — to tease
  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