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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: current · fine · wake · mate · bear · leaves · capital · last

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — final
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. current — of water
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — to go on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — finally
  15. current — happening now
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — money
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. capital — a city
  23. bear — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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