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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — temperature
  3. key — in music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — child
  7. present — there
  8. degree — from a university
  9. present — a gift
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — a trail
  12. key — for a lock
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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