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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
468
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: track · leaves · degree · kick · root · current · band · mark

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kick — in football
  5. band — a music group
  6. current — electric
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — temperature
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. degree — an amount
  15. root — of a word
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mark — a grade
  18. root — the cause
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. band — a ring
  24. current — happening now

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