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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: hand · current · bass · bulb · clip · cabinet · wave · cap

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — happening now
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — low music
  20. current — electric
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hand — help

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