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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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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: wake · current · field · pound · stock · swing · degree · face

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — in golf
  7. field — for sport
  8. current — of water
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — farmland
  11. swing — to play on
  12. field — a subject
  13. current — happening now
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. current — electric
  20. face — to confront
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stock — goods
  24. pound — for dogs

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