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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · press · chest · can · stem · degree · nail · current

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — of water
  15. press — to push
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — of your body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chest — a box
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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