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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: bat · patient · current · branch · degree · band · capital · deal

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — the animal
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — a city
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. current — happening now
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — from a university
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — electric

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