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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: face · field · track · mouse · dip · tube · degree · hand

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — help
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. face — to point toward
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. degree — from a university
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — a container

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