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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: field · degree · branch · stand · ball · wound · current · ground

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ground — the earth
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — electric

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