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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: current · roll · bark · patient · pitch · wake · spring · pit

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — of water
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitch — completely
  9. current — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — in a race
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. roll — a list
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pit — a hole
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. roll — a cake
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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