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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · patient · stem · degree · dip · date · jam · tube

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — army training
  6. tube — a container
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — the underground
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. degree — from a university
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stem — to come from
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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