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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: craft · leaves · wound · ground · file · pop · degree · current

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — the earth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — soda
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pop — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. craft — a skill
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. current — of water
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — to visit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. current — electric
  23. craft — boats
  24. wound — an injury

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