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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: tube · pass · patient · current · branch · capital · bass · land

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. current — of water
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — a division
  5. capital — a city
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — to come down
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — money
  17. tube — a container
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bass — low music

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