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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: mine · patient · sharp · degree · pit · bank · hand · can

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. can — to be able to
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — from a university
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bank — for money
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — help
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hand — part of the body

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