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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: plane · degree · bear · season · arm · swing · last · current

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. bear — the animal
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — of water
  9. season — in sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — of the year
  22. swing — to play on
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — final

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