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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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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: board · patient · season · degree · spring · object · trunk · chip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chip — for betting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spring — of water
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. degree — temperature

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