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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: cell · bay · patient · rush · wound · perch · current · dip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — happening now
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. current — electric
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. dip — to sink
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cell — in biology
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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