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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a list
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. suit — to fit
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. suit — in cards
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. roll — a cake

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