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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: can · current · tear · patient · pitcher · season · saw · wind

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. current — happening now
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. current — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — of the year
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — electric
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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