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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 116 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: field · mouse · pop · degree · can · game · stem · bank

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a match
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — temperature
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — a subject
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  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