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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: current · shower · degree · object · tear · board · content · deal

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — to protest
  6. tear — to rip
  7. board — to get on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. object — an aim
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. current — electric
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — of water
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — the amount
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tear — from crying
  21. object — a thing
  22. content — happy
  23. current — happening now
  24. degree — an amount

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