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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: scale · roll · mug · pitcher · current · patient · firm · stick

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. firm — a company
  3. current — happening now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. firm — decided
  8. roll — a list
  9. scale — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. firm — steady
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mug — a face
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — a cup
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. current — electric
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. roll — a cake
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mug — to rob

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