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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pop — soda
  15. object — to protest
  16. sharp — clever
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — a subject
  21. bank — for money
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pop — music

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