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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: fan · board · degree · rush · cue · rock · press · wound

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rock — music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — to get on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. board — a committee
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. press — to push
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rock — a stone

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