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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 116 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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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: firm · cell · patient · present · snap · degree · race · lash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. present — the time now
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. firm — a company
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — the arms race
  11. degree — temperature
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. present — there
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. cell — a phone
  23. firm — decided
  24. lash — an eyelash

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