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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 · rash · spell · leaves · tear · degree · current · jam

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spell — magic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — happening now
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spell — a short time
  13. current — electric
  14. press — to push
  15. spell — letters
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — of water
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — hasty

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