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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
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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: bowl · capital · prune · hand · degree · bulb · press · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — help
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — a break
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. capital — money
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. degree — an amount
  24. capital — a city

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