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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: current · wound · fan · pass · squash · degree · hide · calf

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — a permit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — of water
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. current — happening now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — a young animal

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