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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — of water
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. swing — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — electric
  18. rest — a break
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. suit — in cards
  21. row — a line
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. swing — in golf

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