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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
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: last · current · cell · cold · cabinet · patient · fan · cap

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a lid
  7. last — final
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — not warm
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — electric
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — the Cold War

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