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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · current · patient · wax · rash · fork · rule · shower

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rule — a law
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rash — a series
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. key — for a lock
  11. shower — rain
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. current — electric
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. key — the most important part
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. current — of water

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