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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: can · lean · patient · mug · degree · season · court · mouse

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — to rob
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mug — a face
  24. can — a tin

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