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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: racket · foot · stem · field · spell · degree · hand · mug

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — letters
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mug — a face
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mug — a cup
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mug — to rob

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