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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: court · dip · file · current · patient · rush · net · tube

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a tool
  9. current — of water
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. court — of a king
  12. current — happening now
  13. court — of law
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tube — the underground
  19. net — in sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. court — for sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — electric
  24. patient — a sick person

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