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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.

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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: pitcher · bore · field · scale · ground · fan · degree · hide

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. field — for sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — a position
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — farmland
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — to tire

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