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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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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: degree · tear · temple · band · field · rest · swing · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — for sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — there
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. present — a gift
  9. band — a music group
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — a break
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a ring

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