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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: current · clip · last · bound · nail · calf · bore · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bore — to tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — electric
  6. last — final
  7. clip — to cut
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — from a university
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — to drill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — happening now
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — obliged

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