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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. current — electric
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. degree — temperature
  16. current — happening now
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. tube — a container
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — of water
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — clever

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