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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 124 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: last · field · ground · toast · degree · lean · tube · march

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — farmland
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — the month
  10. last — final
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. toast — bread
  16. last — finally
  17. ground — crushed
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ground — the earth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. degree — from a university
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — a position

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