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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 120 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: bear · mark · safe · degree · rush · saw · field · hide

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. field — farmland
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mark — a trace
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mark — a grade
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  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