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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.

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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: stand · current · patient · degree · clip · firm · rule · vault

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. firm — steady
  4. rule — a law
  5. firm — a company
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. firm — decided
  8. current — electric
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. current — happening now
  13. stand — to bear
  14. vault — a safe
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. current — of water
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — to cut

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