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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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468
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: march · bank · patient · cabinet · season · craft · pitch · degree

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — boats
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. march — music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — a skill
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitch — completely
  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