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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: squash · degree · press · bear · mouse · ruler · board · field

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. board — to get on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. board — a committee
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — from a university
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. board — a flat piece

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