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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: leaves · current · patient · dip · pop · straw · wake · file

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — electric
  4. dip — to sink
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. current — happening now
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pop — soda
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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