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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: stick · degree · clip · can · current · key · fan · lean

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. degree — from a university
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — a tin
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. degree — temperature
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lean — thin
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — in music
  17. current — happening now
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — an amount
  20. key — for a lock
  21. can — a tin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lean — to bend
  24. current — electric

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