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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 120 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: pound · suit · field · pitcher · degree · wound · leaves · mark

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mark — a trace
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. suit — in cards
  11. field — a subject
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. suit — to fit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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