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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: file · deal · degree · date · lash · wake · current · fork

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a document
  6. deal — to handle
  7. current — of water
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — electric
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. date — the fruit

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