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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: degree · press · bound · pitcher · lean · mark · spring · mug

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spring — the season
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bound — certain
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spring — of water
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mug — a face
  23. lean — thin
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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