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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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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: foot · stick · degree · band · swing · toast · land · patient

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. land — ground
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a ring
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. toast — bread
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. degree — temperature
  15. land — to come down
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — an amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. degree — from a university
  24. band — a rubber band

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