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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: game · cap · track · land · patient · current · fan · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — of ice
  5. track — a song
  6. current — happening now
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — a hat
  12. current — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rock — music
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — to keep track
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. track — a path

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