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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.

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: current · kick · bowl · spell · degree · cell · pitcher · prune

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — from a university

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