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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. current — happening now
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — to push
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — of water
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bark — to shout
  18. press — a publisher
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — shares
  23. current — electric
  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