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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: spring · lean · press · chip · rest · degree · wake · mark

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spring — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — thin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mark — a trace

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