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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: plane · root · wind · file · pit · current · degree · chip

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. root — of a word
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chip — to eat
  8. root — the cause
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — electric
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a document
  16. pit — a hole
  17. degree — an amount
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. chip — for betting
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wind — to turn a key

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