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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: pit · branch · cold · mug · rock · patient · foot · degree

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mug — a face
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cold — an illness
  15. degree — an amount
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pit — a hole
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pit — in a race
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rock — music

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