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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: degree · mark · march · mine · safe · rush · patient · kid

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — child
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — 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