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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: suit · patient · bowl · degree · clip · fork

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. 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. fork — to eat with
  4. suit — clothes
  5. clip — a video
  6. suit — to fit
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — an amount
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. 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