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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: staff · capital · tube · patient · present · current · vault · roll

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — electric
  5. present — the time now
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. staff — employees
  8. vault — a safe
  9. roll — a cake
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. capital — a city
  12. roll — a list
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. current — happening now
  15. tube — a container
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. capital — money
  18. present — there
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — a sick person

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