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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wind · season · mate · snap · pitcher · spring · current

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — to breed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. degree — an amount
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. snap — to click

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