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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: bear · temple · stand · degree · scale · kid · field · hide

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — farmland
  14. scale — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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