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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · rush · mouse · bay · file · degree · current · wave

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — happening now
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mouse — for a computer

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