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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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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: patient · pit · root · degree · wave · bank · bear · band

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. root — of a word
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bank — for money
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. band — a ring
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. band — a music group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bank — for money

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