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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
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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: degree · current · press · stem · rash · trunk · cold · deal

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — electric
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rash — a series
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. current — of water
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — hasty
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. press — to push
  24. current — happening now

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