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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: club · field · rule · bear · press · degree · bulb · coach

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for golf
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for dancing
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. club — a group
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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