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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: pound · current · bear · band · patient · rule · file · bulb

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — electric
  3. band — a ring
  4. rule — government
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a music group
  7. file — a document
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. bulb — for light
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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