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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: rest · track · cue · band · patient · shower · degree · jam

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. band — a music group
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — to wash
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. degree — temperature
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rest — a break
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cue — for pool

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