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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · stand · bat · fall · wake · bulb · degree · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — the animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fall — the season
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wake — a trail
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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