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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: snap · current · last · bark · ball · wave · season · fan

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — electric
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. snap — to click
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. last — finally
  14. current — happening now
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. current — of water
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bark — to shout

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