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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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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: calf · prune · field · craft · press · degree · face · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. press — newspapers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. face — part of the head
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. press — a publisher
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. field — for sport
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. press — to push
  21. craft — boats
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. prune — to trim

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