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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — an amount
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — temperature
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — in cards
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — a division
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — help

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