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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: degree · charge · bound · current · field · band · lash · calf

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. charge — in control
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bound — tied together
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — temperature
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bound — obliged
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — certain
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. charge — a price
  22. current — electric
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. field — for sport

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