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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 · row · wake · face · current · bat · swing · pit

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — a hole
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — a line
  11. current — electric
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — in golf
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. face — part of the head
  19. current — of water
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — happening now
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bat — for baseball

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