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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: patient · field · tube · current · bat · chip · wax · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — farmland
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. field — a subject
  11. tube — a container
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. current — electric
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rock — music
  24. current — happening now

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