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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
468
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: court · patient · press · mouse · wave · fan · current · fall

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of law
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. press — newspapers
  24. current — electric

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