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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: fine · bank · mug · face · degree · patient · fork · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bank — for money
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — high quality
  12. face — to confront
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — all right
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. bank — of a river
  24. patient — a sick person

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