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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 120 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 · wind · current · bound · plane · prune · cabinet · wake

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — a trail
  12. current — electric
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — certain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — the fruit

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