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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
468
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: date · press · cue · degree · bear · wound · coach · land

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. degree — from a university
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — temperature
  10. land — to come down
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a signal
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. press — newspapers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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