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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 · saw · spring · stock · mark · shower · clip · degree

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — a trace
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — goods
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spring — a coil
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — newspapers
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — to push
  18. stock — shares
  19. mark — a grade
  20. clip — for paper
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — of water

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