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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: last · wake · rash · court · chip · capital · wave · patient

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. last — final
  3. capital — money
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. court — of law
  22. rash — a series
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a big letter

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