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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: game · degree · press · row · trunk · spring · mug · staff

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a cup
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — of water
  16. degree — temperature
  17. staff — a stick
  18. game — wild animals
  19. row — to paddle
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mug — a face
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. press — to push

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