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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 116 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
468
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: degree · rock · wound · march · chair · patient · mug · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mug — to rob
  4. march — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mug — a face
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — a stone
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — music

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