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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: face · degree · press · patient · kid · cabinet

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. press — newspapers
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kid — child
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — temperature
  14. press — a publisher
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — an amount

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