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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: bulb · march · band · degree · drill · dip · ground · press

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — newspapers
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. drill — army training
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. degree — from a university
  10. drill — the tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ground — a position
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a music group
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — an amount

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