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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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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: drill · firm · rest · patient · shower · degree · cell · present

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. drill — the tool
  3. firm — steady
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — an amount
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — there
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — a phone
  10. firm — a company
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — a gift
  13. shower — to wash
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — a practice
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — rain

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