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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: last · degree · spring · current · ground · fan · spell · firm

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — finally
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — to go on
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ground — a position
  9. spell — magic
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — crushed
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. last — final
  19. current — happening now
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — of water
  22. firm — decided
  23. spell — letters
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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