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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 · land · staff · ball · key · band · mug · degree

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a cup
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — ground
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a face
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — to come down
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — to rob

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