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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: degree · current · wake · net · ground · coach · rash · rest

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rest — a break
  6. wake — a trail
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — electric
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. degree — from a university
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ground — a position
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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