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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: patient · fall · saw · cue · jam · degree · perch · tube

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. degree — an amount
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — the underground
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — the season
  23. cue — a hint
  24. perch — for a bird

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