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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: press · degree · band · stick · file · present

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — an amount
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. present — there
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — temperature
  18. press — a publisher

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