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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.

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: bore · degree · leaves · pop · press · stick · cell · hide

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bore — to tire
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pop — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — to visit
  24. degree — temperature

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