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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spring — the season
  18. branch — a division
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. can — to be able to

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