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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 · ruler · press · lash · spring · degree · last · object

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — finally
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. current — electric
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. press — to push
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — to go on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — final

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