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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: saw · capital · lie · club · rush · wave · degree · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — a group
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — temperature
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. current — electric
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — for golf
  24. capital — money

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