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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: band · degree · bass · current · capital · object · trunk · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. current — of water
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. object — a thing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bass — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — a city
  24. object — to protest

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