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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · degree · pop · straw · foot · bear · field · lie

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. dip — to sink
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bear — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — a subject
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — dry grass

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