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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 · straw · degree · trunk · clip · ruler · toast · patient

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. current — of water
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. clip — to cut
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — a video
  9. degree — temperature
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. current — electric
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. current — happening now
  23. clip — for paper
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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