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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: wind · fork · current · firm · land · wave · staff · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — electric
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. staff — employees
  5. firm — decided
  6. staff — employees
  7. firm — a company
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. current — of water
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. land — a country
  15. firm — steady
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — ground
  23. last — finally
  24. current — happening now

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