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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: clip · wound · stem · band · wave · current · date · pitcher

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. clip — a video
  3. date — the fruit
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. clip — to cut

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