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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: degree · bore · mate · lash · shower · rash · patient · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — to breed
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bore — to tire
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. race — humankind
  17. mate — a friend
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lash — to lash out

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