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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 116 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: current · staff · patient · straw · bass · ground · bore · perch

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — happening now
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — electric
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bore — to drill

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