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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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468
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 · patient · trunk · roll · field · kick · pit · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. degree — an amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a list
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pit — a hole
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kick — in football
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a cake
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  24. charge — a price

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