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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. current — of water
  3. fall — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bound — tied together
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. degree — temperature
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — to drop
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. band — a ring
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. dip — to sink
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. current — electric

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