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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: patient · current · cell · kid · bulb · saw · stock · last

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cell — a phone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — shares
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — happening now
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. current — of water
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. last — final
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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