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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: firm · mark · stand · wound · cabinet · field · roll · degree

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a cake
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stand — to bear
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — a subject
  13. firm — decided
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mark — a grade
  16. firm — steady
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — for sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. degree — temperature
  22. roll — a list
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — on a roll

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