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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — thin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lean — to bend
  6. current — electric
  7. row — to paddle
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cap — of ice
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. current — of water
  15. staff — a stick
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. row — a line
  20. cap — a hat
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a lid

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