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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: bowl · degree · wake · rock · saw · face · nail · current

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rock — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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