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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 · file · current · degree · stick · rash · fork · plane

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. file — a document
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. file — a tool
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — a series
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. current — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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