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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: patient · bay · pop · mug · chest · current · spring · craft

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. current — happening now
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chest — a box
  14. current — electric
  15. mug — a face
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — boats
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chest — of your body

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