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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: pop · shower · degree · pitcher · sharp · pound · bank · press

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pound — a weight
  4. shower — rain
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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