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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 · clip · deal · fall · stick · date · wake · object

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. clip — a video
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. object — a thing
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. current — happening now
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — an aim
  14. current — of water
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. object — to protest
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. clip — to cut

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