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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: patient · bay · current · lean · court · cell · clip · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — of law
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. clip — a video
  6. cell — in biology
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. court — for sport
  13. current — electric
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rash — a series
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lean — thin
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bay — a horse colour

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