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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: bound · degree · cabinet · root · field · mark · calf · wound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. field — for sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — temperature
  24. root — of a word

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