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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: patient · can · cabinet · wake · branch · key · degree · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. key — the most important part
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — a division
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — a trail
  16. face — to confront
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. key — in music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — temperature
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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