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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · tear · hand · key · perch · patient · stand

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — the most important part
  6. perch — the fish
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — of water
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — help
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bat — in an idiom

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