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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 · object · fall · cold · temple · wave · last · patient

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. last — finally
  3. cold — not warm
  4. last — final
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — a thing
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — electric
  15. object — an aim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — of water
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — to protest
  23. fall — to drop
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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