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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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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 · wake · row · branch · patient · bound · coach · kid

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — electric
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — to paddle

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