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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: tube · pound · date · land · current · kick · bear · degree

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kick — in football
  5. current — happening now
  6. land — to come down
  7. tube — the underground
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — a country
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. degree — from a university
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. degree — an amount

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