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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: chip · swing · patient · degree · spell · season · trunk · tube

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — magic
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chip — to eat
  8. degree — an amount
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. swing — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. swing — in golf
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — a short time
  21. degree — temperature
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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