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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — to tease
  19. degree — from a university
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. staff — a stick
  23. snap — to click
  24. degree — temperature

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