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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: current · suit · prune · kick · degree · snap · rash · chest

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. current — electric
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — happening now
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rash — a series
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kick — in football

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