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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 116 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: lean · field · rock · degree · bound · cabinet · press · calf

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — a subject
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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