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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 · mark · firm · lash · press · degree · cell · roll

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mark — a trace
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. press — to push
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. firm — steady
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. current — happening now
  24. lash — an eyelash

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