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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: game · snap · leaves · patient · date · race · degree · craft

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. snap — to click
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — the arms race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. game — wild animals
  15. race — humankind
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. craft — a skill
  22. race — a contest
  23. degree — temperature
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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