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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: degree · temple · mug · firm · field · fork · patient · chest

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a face
  4. firm — a company
  5. chest — a box
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mug — to rob
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — steady
  14. mug — a cup
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — for sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — decided
  24. fork — to eat with

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