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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: degree · leaves · pound · firm · wound · press · rest · last

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. firm — a company
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. firm — steady
  9. degree — an amount
  10. press — a publisher
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — from a university
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — finally
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — decided
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. press — to push
  24. last — final

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