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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 · cue · branch · wind · bass · degree · march · bulb

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — an amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a hint
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cue — for pool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — low music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cue — a signal

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