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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: chip · patient · safe · degree · fork · scale · root · band

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fork — in a road
  8. scale — in music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — for betting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. patient — a sick person

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