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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · season · press · foot · lie · spring · drill · degree

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spring — the season
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lie — to recline
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. drill — army training
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — in sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — a measure
  24. press — newspapers

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