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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 120 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: stem · pass · degree · patient · cabinet · last · tube · mine

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — to come from
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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