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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · patient · calf · wave · nail · cold · current · plane

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. plane — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — happening now
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. current — electric
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a leader
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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