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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · press · field · can · rest · jam · vault · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — to push
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. press — a publisher
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. degree — temperature
  14. field — a subject
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — newspapers
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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