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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: tube · snap · current · pop · degree · content · wake · field

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. degree — temperature
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tube — a container
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — soda
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. pop — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — the amount
  18. field — a subject
  19. degree — an amount
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. field — farmland
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tube — the underground
  24. current — of water

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