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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.

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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: spring · chip · degree · rush · bear · press · face · row

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — a coil
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bear — the animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — of water
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — a line
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spring — the season

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