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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · file · cue · patient · rash · straw · degree · nail

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. 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. current — happening now
  2. cue — a hint
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cue — a signal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — for pool
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. 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