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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: mark · press · spell · present · stem · mine · degree · board

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — temperature
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. present — a gift
  16. board — to get on
  17. press — to push
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — there
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. press — newspapers
  24. board — a committee

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