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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: degree · bay · plane · mate · field · board · rest · land

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. degree — temperature
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — from a university
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. board — to get on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rest — a break
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mate — a friend
  24. field — for sport

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