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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 · degree · staff · bear · board · band · rock · saw

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. degree — an amount
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rock — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a ring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — to push
  17. rock — a stone
  18. press — newspapers
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — a publisher
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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