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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: wave · lash · root · field · mouse · swing · game · degree

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. field — a subject
  11. degree — an amount
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. root — the cause
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. swing — music
  24. field — farmland

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