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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: chair · patient · saw · degree · current · spell · net · branch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. net — in sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — a short time
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. current — of water
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — a division
  18. current — electric
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spell — magic
  24. branch — of a bank

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