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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 116 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: bear · current · cap · sharp · file · club · branch · patient

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. file — a tool
  6. club — a group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. branch — a division
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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