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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: wake · hide · hand · mouse · field · degree · can · club

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — help
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — a subject
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. club — for golf
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. can — to be able to
  24. hide — animal skin

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