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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 · leaves · branch · charge · hand · tear · dip · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — temperature
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — in control
  20. dip — to sink
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. charge — electricity

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