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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 116 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: deal · cell · degree · nail · land · bulb · rule · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bulb — for light
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. current — of water
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. current — happening now
  12. cell — in biology
  13. degree — temperature
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — a country
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — ground
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

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