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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 · bass · degree · swing · snap · patient · present · current

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — there
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. bass — low music
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — electric
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. degree — temperature
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — a publisher
  19. degree — from a university
  20. present — a gift
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — in golf
  24. present — the time now

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