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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: degree · saw · bark · last · date · current · patient · safe

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — finally
  3. date — the fruit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — an amount
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — of water
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — to go on
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. current — electric
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. last — final
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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