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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: patient · degree · straw · toast · vault · fine

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — an amount
  4. toast — bread
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — from a university
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. degree — temperature
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — high quality
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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