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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · mark · current · chest · patient · ruler · capital · spring

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chest — a box
  6. current — happening now
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — the season
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. current — electric
  23. capital — money
  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