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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · swing · patient · foot · straw · band · leaves · tube

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tube — the underground
  9. band — a ring
  10. degree — from a university
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. swing — in golf
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tube — a container
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tube — in a tire

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