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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: march · cue · patient · charge · stem · degree · land · face

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — electricity
  8. land — a country
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — to come from
  11. land — ground
  12. charge — a price
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — in control
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. degree — temperature
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. march — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. march — the month

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