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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 · net · wake · degree · craft · pit · mug · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — a face
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — from a university
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pit — in a race
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pit — a hole
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. craft — boats
  16. net — for catching
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. net — after costs
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. craft — a skill
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mug — a cup

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