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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: band · toast · squash · chair · rush · patient · roll · degree

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a music group
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. roll — a cake
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rush — hurry
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. toast — bread
  24. chair — a professorship

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