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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: object · degree · rest · press · pitcher · branch · bat · stick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — newspapers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. press — to push
  24. object — an aim

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