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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: club · ball · current · kick · dip · straw · wake · wave

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. current — electric
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — happening now
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. current — of water
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. club — for dancing
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a round shape

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