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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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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — electric
  11. firm — steady
  12. dip — to sink
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. firm — a company
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — decided
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — a coil
  24. current — of water

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