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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
468
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: current · fan · saw · mine · bark · patient · lean · band

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a music group
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. band — a ring
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — of a tree
  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