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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: perch · degree · dip · bulb · deal · rash · field · ground

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. field — farmland
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — from a university
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — to handle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bulb — for light
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — to dunk

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