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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: current · clip · patient · arm · wave · last · ball · can

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — for paper
  4. last — finally
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. current — of water
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a great time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — to be able to
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — happening now
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. current — electric

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