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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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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: stick · trunk · patient · snap · lie · degree · bank · stand

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bank — for money
  13. lie — to recline
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bank — for money
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — temperature
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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