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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. degree — an amount
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — to bear
  8. track — to keep track
  9. swing — to play on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — a song
  14. root — of a plant
  15. track — a path
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — the cause
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — in sport
  21. swing — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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