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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — a gift
  15. current — happening now
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a word
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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