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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.

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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: temple · current · bulb · degree · rush · row · clip · track

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a line
  5. rush — hurry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. current — happening now
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — from a university
  11. current — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. track — a song
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. current — electric

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