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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — a subject
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — from a university
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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