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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
468
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: mate · patient · bay · field · scale · bass · degree · bear

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — size or range
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — a subject
  22. scale — in music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bay — a horse colour

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