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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.

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: present · plane · safe · saw · capital · patient · degree · row

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — an amount
  3. present — the time now
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — a gift
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — temperature
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — money
  17. degree — from a university
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. present — there
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. row — to paddle
  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