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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: coach · spring · degree · drill · lean · press · mate · wake

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — a coil
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — newspapers
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — from a university
  18. drill — the tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — to push
  21. lean — thin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — to breed

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