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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: bulb · row · lean · current · band · lash · degree · field

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — electric
  11. band — a music group
  12. field — farmland
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — a subject
  15. lean — thin
  16. field — for sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. row — a line
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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