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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: ground · degree · bear · track · stand · swing · clip · temple

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — the earth
  7. degree — from a university
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stand — to bear
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — a video
  17. swing — to play on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — music

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