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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: firm · current · capital · wake · plane · straw · nail · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. plane — a tool
  9. firm — decided
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — from a university
  13. current — happening now
  14. firm — a company
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. firm — steady
  17. capital — a city
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — money
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. straw — a straw man

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