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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · arm · hand · bat · patient · date · bear · foot

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. arm — a part of something

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