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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: cue · firm · leaves · clip · spell · fall · current · patient

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. cue — for pool
  5. firm — decided
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — a short time
  11. clip — a video
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — electric
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spell — magic
  20. clip — for paper
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — to cut
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — of a tree

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