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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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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: bear · fall · degree · racket · press · lie

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fall — to drop
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lie — to recline
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth

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