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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.

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: drill · press · spell · degree · coach · sharp · stem · object

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — a thing
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — an aim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — clever
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — to protest
  17. degree — temperature
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. drill — army training

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