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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: season · patient · cell · wake · mouse · current · straw · fan

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — happening now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. season — of the year
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — the animal

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