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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · bank · field · degree · cap · arm · snap · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bank — for money
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — temperature
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — a lid
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. field — for sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — an amount
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — boats
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. field — farmland
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — a subject

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