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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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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: charge · spring · root · degree · board · patient · face · hand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — of a word
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — the cause
  9. charge — electricity
  10. face — to point toward
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — in control
  15. face — to confront
  16. charge — a price
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — temperature
  19. board — a committee
  20. spring — a coil
  21. face — part of the head
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — help
  24. spring — of water

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