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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 116 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: game · degree · craft · mark · patient · club · march · fan

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — a group
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. club — for dancing
  17. craft — boats
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. craft — a skill
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — music

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