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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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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: wake · degree · field · pass · calf · leaves · pound · row

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — a trail
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. row — a line
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — for sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pass — a permit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. degree — an amount
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. degree — from a university

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