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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 120 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: object · mine · stem · current · can · bat · bear · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — the animal
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — happening now
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stem — to come from

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