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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 116 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: band · snap · spell · degree · spring · swing · current · stand

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spell — letters
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — a short time
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spell — magic
  8. band — a music group
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — happening now

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