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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 · plane · row · degree · track · rash · cabinet · wound

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. track — to keep track
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. track — a song
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. track — a path

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