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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: tube · pitcher · bat · board · bore · degree · wound · press

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. board — to get on
  12. bore — to tire
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — to push
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. press — newspapers
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — the animal

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