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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: land · suit · lean · bound · degree · press · bear · hide

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. suit — clothes
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — a country
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — ground
  20. bound — certain
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bound — obliged

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