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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: key · spring · current · degree · chair · bulb · bowl · press

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — happening now
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — a leader
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spring — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — the season
  23. current — electric
  24. press — to push

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