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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 116 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: hide · fan · press · degree · wave · bear · tear · mug

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mug — to rob
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mug — a face
  24. fan — a supporter

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