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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 120 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: degree · staff · snap · bound · stem · spell · fan · current

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — to come from
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — magic
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. current — happening now
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. current — of water
  24. stem — of a plant

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