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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: current · degree · stick · bass · capital · rash · lash · bound

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. capital — a city
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bass — low music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rash — a series
  14. bass — the fish
  15. degree — an amount
  16. current — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — happening now
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. capital — a big letter

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