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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: bowl · rash · bear · saw · field · degree · fork · dip

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — from a university
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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