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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 · stock · foot · mine · land · calf · cap · degree

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. degree — from a university
  8. land — ground
  9. cap — a hat
  10. land — to come down
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — goods
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cap — a lid
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. degree — an amount
  22. foot — a measure
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young 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