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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 · rock · object · current · file · bore · swing · spring

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. rock — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bore — to drill
  10. object — an aim
  11. degree — an amount
  12. file — a line of people
  13. object — to protest
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — of water
  18. file — a document
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — to play on
  24. current — of water

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