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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · patient · capital · current · stock · object · spell · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. object — to protest
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — shares
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — electric
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — low music
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — a city
  15. object — a thing
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spell — letters
  24. stock — goods

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