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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: press · staff · branch · fall · bulb · degree · ball · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fall — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. staff — employees
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. branch — a division

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