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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 116 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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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: patient · sharp · firm · key · bank · current · spring · cell

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. current — electric
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — decided
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. current — of water

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