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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 120 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: straw · prune · cell · season · current · patient · present · racket

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. present — there
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — a phone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — of water
  14. present — the time now
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — a gift
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

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