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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to click
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. fork — in a road

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