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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · board · hand · current · clip · patient · perch · charge

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. charge — a price
  4. board — to get on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — music
  10. current — electric
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — help
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — of water
  20. board — a committee
  21. charge — in control
  22. current — happening now
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. charge — electricity

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