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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: court · current · wound · pound · bass · pitcher · patient · pass

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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 — of water
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — a weight
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pass — a permit
  13. current — happening now
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — electric
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. patient — a sick person
  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