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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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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: bowl · vault · straw · stock · prune · pound · degree · press

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. press — to push
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stock — shares
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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