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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. suit — clothes
  3. degree — an amount
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — an injury
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. suit — to fit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rock — to move gently

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