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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: current · shower · stem · ground · clip · club · mark · patient

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — to cut
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — a video
  14. current — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — for dancing

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