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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: wave · current · spell · field · bound · patient · rock · content

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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. spell — letters
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. current — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — the amount
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — certain
  20. rock — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. bound — obliged

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