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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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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 · cabinet · hand · lean · mine · spell · press · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — to bear
  7. press — newspapers
  8. degree — from a university
  9. press — to push
  10. spell — a short time
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lean — to bend
  24. degree — an amount

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