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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: perch · stock · patient · bass · current · field · cap · mine

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. field — a subject
  10. current — of water
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — happening now
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — a lid
  20. field — farmland
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. perch — for a bird

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