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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.

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: dip · file · degree · field · spring · wave · bore · swing

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. degree — temperature
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bore — to tire
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. swing — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — a coil
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — from a university
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a tool
  23. degree — an amount
  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