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

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — of water
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — to bear
  9. branch — a division
  10. date — the fruit
  11. object — to protest
  12. mate — a partner
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. field — farmland
  15. current — electric
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — for sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mate — a friend

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