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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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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: fine · snap · deal · degree · cap · patient · saw · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. cap — of ice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a hat
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fine — all right
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cap — a lid
  21. snap — to click
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. deal — an agreement

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