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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: field · dip · mine · ruler · saw · mate · degree · object

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. object — an aim
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — to protest
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. object — a thing

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