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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 120 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: rest · rock · prune · suit · current · fall · sharp · patient

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. rock — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. suit — clothes
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. suit — to fit
  14. current — electric
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rest — a break
  23. rock — a stone
  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