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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: lean · current · press · degree · pop · leaves · cold · deal

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — electric
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pop — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. pop — soda
  17. degree — temperature
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lean — thin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — to bend

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