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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
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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: spring · bass · degree · firm · face · scale · current · field

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. current — electric
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. scale — size or range
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — in music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. firm — steady
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. field — farmland
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — the season
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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