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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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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: patient · degree · root · wax · mug · march · bat · deal

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mug — a cup
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bat — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — of a word
  10. mug — a face
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. march — the month
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. degree — from a university
  24. march — music

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