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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: charge · spring · swing · leaves · hand · patient · degree · pound

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — of water
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. charge — a price
  17. swing — music
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spring — the season
  24. pound — for dogs

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