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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 · patient · mine · firm · ball · coach · lean · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. firm — steady
  3. ball — a dance
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cap — a lid
  8. firm — decided
  9. current — electric
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — a company
  12. current — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. current — happening now
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — of ice

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