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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · degree · patient · staff · mark · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — temperature
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — an amount
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mark — a grade
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — boats
  18. 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