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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: saw · current · net · patient · fork · fall · wave · pound

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. current — electric
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pound — a weight
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  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