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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: bark · last · current · patient · fine · leaves · lean · perch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — finally
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. current — happening now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — to shout
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — high quality
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. current — electric

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