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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · patient · degree · leaves · rush · march · pitcher · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a line
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rush — hurry
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — from a university
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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