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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: mate · patient · degree · bat · fall · last · spell · root

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spell — magic
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a word
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — the season
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — the cause
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — the animal
  24. degree — an amount

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