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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: band · nail · can · fan · face · press · degree · bat

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. band — a ring
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to confront
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — a tin
  24. nail — on a finger

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