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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 116 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: wind · lean · tube · firm · pound · bowl · press · degree

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tube — the underground
  11. press — newspapers
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. firm — decided
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. firm — a company
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — a container
  24. firm — steady

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