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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: rest · craft · last · kick · trunk · patient · degree · pit

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. craft — a skill
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. last — finally
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kick — in football
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — final
  24. craft — boats

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