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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: field · calf · face · nail · fan · degree · squash · stand

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. field — a subject
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — to confront
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stand — to bear
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — temperature

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