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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: degree · present · season · game · wax · press · stand · field

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — to grow
  3. field — farmland
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. degree — temperature
  8. press — newspapers
  9. present — a gift
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — a publisher
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. game — a match
  15. season — of the year
  16. press — to push
  17. degree — an amount
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — in sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. present — there

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