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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 · mouse · pop · current · bay · bark · season · face

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. season — of the year
  2. current — electric
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. current — of water
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. current — happening now
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pop — soda
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. pop — to visit
  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