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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: degree · stand · trunk · roll · saw · patient · mug · march

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mug — a face
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. roll — a cake
  7. march — music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mug — to rob
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. patient — a sick person

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