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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 · stick · current · dip · swing · foot · ground · chest

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — crushed
  13. current — electric
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chest — a box
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chest — of your body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. current — happening now
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to sink

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