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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: degree · root · row · mate · tear · pitcher · mug · field

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — a line
  10. field — for sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mate — a friend
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — of a plant

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