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

Word bank: wave · patient · current · capital · wound · race · tear · rule

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. current — electric
  4. race — humankind
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — a law
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — a city
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — happening now
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — money
  22. rule — government
  23. wound — an injury
  24. race — a contest

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