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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: current · saw · bore · scale · fork · cell · row · patient

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — of water
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — a phone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. current — electric
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — a line
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. current — happening now
  24. scale — in music

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