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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 · bass · patient · band · lash · prune · bear · coach

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. current — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — low music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — happening now
  16. band — a ring
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bass — the fish

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