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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 120 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: field · leaves · press · ground · current · prune · season · degree

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. season — of the year
  6. current — happening now
  7. degree — temperature
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — electric
  11. press — to push
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — newspapers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. field — for sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. press — a publisher

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