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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: mine · pound · object · wave · bear · degree · key · current

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — an aim
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. current — of water
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pound — a weight

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