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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: saw · bat · stem · field · wake · degree · mate · press

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — newspapers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. degree — from a university
  13. field — farmland
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mate — to breed
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — a subject

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