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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: sharp · calf · patient · drill · clip · degree · present · spell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — magic
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. clip — to cut
  11. present — there
  12. spell — letters
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — a short time
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. present — a gift
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — a video
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — an amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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