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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 120 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 · saw · can · dip · last · mug · clip · deal

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. last — finally
  3. mug — to rob
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. can — to be able to
  9. current — happening now
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — final
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — a video
  20. current — of water
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — for paper
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — to sink

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