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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: straw · dip · firm · trunk · patient · degree · current · file

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. firm — steady
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — of water
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. dip — to sink
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. current — happening now
  19. firm — decided
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. file — a tool
  22. firm — a company
  23. file — a document
  24. degree — from a university

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