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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: current · fan · season · patient · rest · game · saw · pop

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rest — a break
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — in sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — a match
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — soda
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. current — happening now
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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