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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: land · patient · pitcher · current · march · temple · deal · staff

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. march — the month
  4. current — electric
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. current — of water
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — to come down
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — a country

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