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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: key · patient · pitcher · lie · drill · lean · current · bat

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — to bend
  11. current — happening now
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bat — the animal
  23. current — electric
  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