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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: current · ground · prune · dip · sharp · degree · bowl · coach

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. sharp — clever
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ground — a position
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — to sink

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