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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 120 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: fan · degree · press · row · board · hide · spring · wax

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — a line
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — to push
  9. degree — an amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — a committee
  24. wax — in the ear

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