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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: patient · spring · snap · suit · arm · branch · degree · row

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. suit — clothes
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to click
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. suit — to fit

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