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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 · key · patient · straw · cell · charge

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — an amount
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. charge — a price
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — electricity
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. charge — in control

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