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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: field · firm · scale · calf · club · degree · squash · wave

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — a company
  11. squash — the sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. scale — size or range
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — in music
  24. club — a group

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