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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · coach · swing · current · cell · patient · bulb · wake

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. current — of water
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — a phone
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wake — a trail
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. swing — music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cell — in a prison

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