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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: swing · field · track · wave · press · degree · mate · rush

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — to breed
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — farmland
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. track — to keep track

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