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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: current · bark · snap · staff · object · stem · mine · degree

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bark — to shout
  3. object — a thing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — to protest
  13. snap — to click
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. object — an aim
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — to come from
  22. staff — employees
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — of a tree

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