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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: wake · mine · rock · lean · scale · current · band · degree

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. band — a ring
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — an amount
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — before a funeral

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