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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: degree · press · nail · saw · rest · chest · bulb · trunk

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — temperature
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. saw — the tool

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