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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: fan · patient · bass · cold · current · hide · present · rule

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. current — happening now
  14. rule — a law
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — there
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. current — of water

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