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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — happening now
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — hasty
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — from a university
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. track — a path
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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