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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: spell · wave · rock · last · current · fork · season · wake

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. last — finally
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. spell — magic
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wake — a trail
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rock — music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. spell — letters

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