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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: press · jam · pass · degree · court · nail · prune · scale

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. degree — from a university
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — for sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. press — to push
  18. degree — an amount
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — a publisher

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