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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 120 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: cold · current · staff · ball · last · patient · wave · pass

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — to go on
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. staff — employees
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — electric
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. current — happening now
  24. staff — a stick

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