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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: roll · date · season · pitcher · rush · degree · bulb · patient

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — from a university
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — of the year
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. roll — a list
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — an amount

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