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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: content · lash · rash · degree · net · ground · field · stem

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — to come from
  9. field — for sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — happy
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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