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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: date · field · staff · racket · degree · stem · mug · net

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — from a university
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a cup
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mug — to rob
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. field — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a face
  17. degree — temperature
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — to come from
  21. net — after costs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — in sport
  24. degree — an amount

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