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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: tube · wax · racket · degree · pitcher · current · patient · saw

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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