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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: field · key · pound · lean · rock · pop · degree · kid

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — thin
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. key — in music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — to bend
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. field — farmland

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