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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: bass · cap · patient · fine · dip · current · roll · land

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a hat
  4. roll — a cake
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — all right
  9. current — happening now
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. roll — a list
  14. bass — the fish
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cap — of ice
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. dip — to sink

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