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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: degree · mouse · spring · current · suit · straw · craft · cue

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — of water
  3. suit — clothes
  4. degree — an amount
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. current — electric
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spring — the season
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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