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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 120 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: staff · degree · hide · rush · patient · cue · bear · hand

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hide — animal skin

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