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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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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: bank · degree · swing · date · pit · kid · patient · board

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. board — a committee
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. degree — temperature
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. pit — in a race

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