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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 120 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: deal · wind · wake · ruler · current · rash · can · degree

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — a trail
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — happening now
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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