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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · date · stick · field · trunk · can · degree · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — to bear
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — from a university
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — in sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. field — farmland
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — a subject

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