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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 120 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: mate · scale · leaves · wave · fine · clip · wake · current

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mate — to breed
  8. current — happening now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. scale — in music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — of water

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