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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · degree · root · present · band · stand · drill · press

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — a gift
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. degree — from a university
  8. press — to push
  9. root — the cause
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — the time now
  15. press — newspapers
  16. present — there
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a ring
  21. press — a publisher
  22. root — of a plant
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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