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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: fan · degree · mouse · shower · press · prune · can · deal

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. deal — to handle
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — a tin
  14. shower — rain
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — a supporter

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