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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: fork · snap · lash · date · field · degree · stand · track

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — a song
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. degree — temperature
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — from a university
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stand — to bear
  10. snap — to click
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. track — a path
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — for sport
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. field — farmland

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