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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: degree · field · bound · sharp · wake · racket · bear · dip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — a trail
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — certain
  16. field — a subject
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. degree — temperature

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