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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: mate · degree · rock · press · fan · nail · spring · rest

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — from a university
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. rest — a break
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rock — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — to breed

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