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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 116 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: chair · patient · current · lean · ball · rock · row · track

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — a song
  8. current — electric
  9. track — a path
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a line
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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