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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: press · staff · degree · stock · mate · board · bulb · straw

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stock — shares
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a partner
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — for light
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. board — to get on
  15. mate — a friend
  16. board — a committee
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mate — to breed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stock — goods
  24. press — a publisher

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