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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: patient · degree · nail · row · safe · season · current · chest

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — of water
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — electric
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — happening now
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — a box
  24. degree — from a university

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