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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. vault — a safe
  5. track — to keep track
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — a publisher
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. press — to push
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wake — a trail
  22. degree — from a university
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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