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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: chip · prune · bank · content · current · land · pass · patient

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — ground
  4. bank — for money
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bank — for money
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chip — to eat
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pass — a permit
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. land — to come down
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — happening now
  24. chip — for betting

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