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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.

Make a worksheet

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: patient · perch · current · object · row · branch · land · ruler

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. perch — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. row — a line
  15. current — of water
  16. object — a thing
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. land — ground
  22. current — electric
  23. branch — a division
  24. current — happening now

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