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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: calf · degree · wound · cabinet · fan · racket · current · clip

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. current — electric
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — a video
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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