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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: mine · sharp · spell · current · patient · spring · hand · mark

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — happening now
  5. mark — a grade
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — of water
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — of water
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — a coil
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. current — electric
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — a trace
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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