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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · stock · degree · field · press · ruler · mouse · shower

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — an amount
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. press — to push
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. shower — rain
  10. stock — shares
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. field — a subject
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — farmland
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — newspapers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mouse — the animal

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