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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: degree · foot · charge · stand · current · spring · bat · pound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. charge — a price
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. current — of water
  9. charge — in control
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. current — happening now
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stand — for spectators

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