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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 120 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: wave · branch · patient · season · leaves · degree · arm · snap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to click
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. degree — an amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wave — of the sea

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