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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · cold · can · lash · game · patient · bear · squash

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cold — not warm
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — temperature
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cold — an illness
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — to crush
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bear — the animal

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