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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: plane · current · lash · pitcher · patient · chair · mug · wave

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. current — electric
  8. mug — a face
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — happening now
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitcher — a jug

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