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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: tube · sharp · net · can · bore · degree · field · ground

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. ground — crushed
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — a position
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — from a university

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