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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.

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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: degree · perch · club · mouse · mine · press · shower · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. press — to push
  4. club — for golf
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mine — for digging
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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