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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — letters
  3. current — electric
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — of a river
  6. present — a gift
  7. season — in sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bank — for money
  13. current — happening now
  14. present — there
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — of water
  22. season — of the year
  23. degree — temperature
  24. coach — a trainer

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