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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: kick · degree · press · dip · mine · arm · swing · tube

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mine — for digging
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — an amount
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. dip — a sauce

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