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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: cue · patient · degree · last · scale · stand · mate · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. degree — an amount
  4. scale — size or range
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mate — to breed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mate — a partner
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — final
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — for weighing

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