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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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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: track · degree · spell · rush · scale · race · prune · current

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — electric
  12. race — humankind
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. track — a song
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — a path
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — of water
  22. spell — letters
  23. scale — in music
  24. track — to keep track

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