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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: clip · wave · court · bore · bowl · present · current · arm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bore — to tire
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. clip — to cut
  14. current — electric
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. present — the time now
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — a gift
  23. court — of law
  24. clip — for paper

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