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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: bat · current · patient · tear · bound · bore · suit · sharp

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. current — of water
  3. bore — to drill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — electric
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bound — obliged
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. suit — clothes
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. current — happening now
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bound — tied together

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