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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.

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: root · degree · staff · spring · bound · press · ball · mate

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — certain
  10. root — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spring — of water
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. press — a publisher
  19. root — the cause
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — tied together
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — the season

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