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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: patient · degree · racket · cabinet · hide · coach · rock · rush

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. degree — from a university
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rock — a stone
  24. coach — a trainer

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