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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · root · wave · stand · file · field · degree · calf

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — farmland
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rash — a series

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