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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: patient · shower · present · can · degree · hand · ball · roll

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — to be able to
  6. present — there
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a cake
  18. degree — an amount
  19. roll — a list
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. shower — to wash

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