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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: lean · ball · row · current · bass · stick · patient · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — of water
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lean — thin
  5. current — happening now
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. current — electric
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the fish
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — the instrument

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