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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: dip · calf · fork · patient · lean · land · cell · current

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. land — a country
  5. cell — a phone
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. current — happening now
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fork — in a road
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to bend
  22. land — to come down
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lean — thin

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