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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: board · stick · rule · patient · current · scale · bulb · cold

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rule — government
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — a committee
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. current — of water
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — electric
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — not warm
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. board — to get on
  22. current — happening now
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — to rule out

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