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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: track · current · field · wax · degree · pit · wound · board

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. current — happening now
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. pit — in a race
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — a hole
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — for sport
  18. track — a song
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — electric
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. board — a committee

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