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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: lean · degree · deal · patient · snap · racket · field · temple

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. deal — to handle
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. snap — to click
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — to bend
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. field — farmland
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. field — a subject

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