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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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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 · patient · racket · clip · mate · firm · track · trunk

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mate — a partner
  5. current — of water
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. firm — decided
  12. current — happening now
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. clip — for paper
  17. firm — a company
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — a friend
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mate — to breed

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