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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 · wound · kid · jam · current · degree · sharp · present

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. current — happening now
  6. present — there
  7. press — newspapers
  8. current — electric
  9. degree — from a university
  10. current — of water
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — a gift
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. press — to push
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. degree — an amount
  20. sharp — clever
  21. present — the time now
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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