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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · degree · rule · current · rush · cap · temple · lash

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — electric
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rule — government
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bulb — of a plant

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