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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: bark · current · deal · snap · degree · foot · jam · hand

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to click
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. current — of water
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hand — help
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — part of the body

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