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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: fork · kid · current · calf · scale · degree · staff · lash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fork — in a road
  11. scale — in music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — employees

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