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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: deal · patient · coach · degree · spell · branch · bass · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — a measure
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. degree — temperature
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bass — low music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — from a university
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. branch — a division

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