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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 · club · file · bore · patient · stand · jam · mug

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mug — a face
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. current — of water
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stand — to bear
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. file — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — a cup
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. file — a document

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