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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: patient · wave · current · fan · spell · last · swing · ball

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spell — magic
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — final
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — letters
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — electric
  17. swing — music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — of water
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. swing — in golf
  24. patient — a sick person

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