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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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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — hurry
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. face — to point toward
  20. row — a line
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. face — to confront

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