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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 · rule · game · land · can · prune · current · spring

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. current — of water
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — to come down
  10. game — a match
  11. can — a tin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. land — ground
  16. spring — a coil
  17. current — happening now
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — a law
  22. can — to be able to
  23. land — a country
  24. spring — the season

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