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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — a container
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to click
  14. degree — temperature
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. stand — to bear
  21. can — a tin
  22. degree — from a university
  23. root — the cause
  24. stand — for spectators

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