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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: content · ball · wave · bark · patient · stem · sharp · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — electric
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. content — happy
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — the amount
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ball — a dance
  24. sharp — clever

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