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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: stand · nail · staff · wound · press · degree · mug · file

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — from a university
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stand — to bear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mug — to rob
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a document
  20. staff — employees
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. file — a tool

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