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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
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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: current · pop · bear · degree · file · sharp · mouse · wind

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pop — music
  5. current — of water
  6. pop — soda
  7. bear — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a document
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pop — to visit
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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