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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · shower · deal · swing · scale · press · degree · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. scale — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lean — to bend
  5. scale — size or range
  6. degree — an amount
  7. press — to push
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lean — thin
  12. swing — music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. swing — to play on
  16. craft — boats
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. swing — in golf
  19. degree — from a university
  20. shower — to wash
  21. deal — to handle
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. press — newspapers

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