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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: object · stand · foot · bark · pitcher · squash · degree · field

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — to protest
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. object — a thing
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. foot — a measure
  18. object — an aim
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitcher — a jug

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