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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: march · patient · trunk · stick · degree · tear · chest · coach

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chest — a box
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — the month
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — from a university
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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