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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — electric
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tube — a container
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — happening now
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — of water
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — thin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — a position
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fork — to eat with
  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