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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · pass · degree · last · board · leaves · prune · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — to tease
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. current — happening now
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — final
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. degree — from a university
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. current — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — temperature
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — a permit

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