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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: patient · wound · chair · foot · mouse · rule · degree · cabinet

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — government
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — temperature
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rule — a law
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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