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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: date · current · content · board · patient · hand · fan · squash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — the amount
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — happy
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hand — help
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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