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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: craft · spring · row · press · degree · racket · board · cold

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cold — an illness
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. press — to push
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. row — a line
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — boats
  24. spring — of water

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