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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: pit · wound · current · dip · degree · press · wind · bear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. current — of water
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — electric
  8. press — to push
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. current — happening now
  14. press — a publisher
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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