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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: kid · wound · patient · degree · calf · can · suit · cell

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — to tease
  10. suit — in cards
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. kid — child
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — temperature

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