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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stand — to bear
  5. tube — a container
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — a subject
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. degree — an amount
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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