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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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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 · ball · net · branch · press · lash · key · nail

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. press — to push
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ball — a dance
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. branch — a division
  18. degree — an amount
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. press — a publisher

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