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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: arm · scale · row · degree · fall · ground · saw · current

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — electric
  5. ground — the earth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. row — a line
  12. scale — in music
  13. current — happening now
  14. ground — a position
  15. current — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — to paddle
  23. degree — temperature
  24. arm — part of the body

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