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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: patient · last · wave · band · club · lie · pass · saw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. last — final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — a permit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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