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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: current · degree · patient · spell · stock · bay · fine · clip

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — from a university
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fine — all right
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. current — happening now
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — a video
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — shares
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — to cut

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