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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: tube · chair · degree · press · fan · ball · pound · tear

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — a container
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ball — a great time
  22. press — to push
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ball — a round shape

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