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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 · racket · pass · last · press · hand · degree · bulb

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. last — final
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — a permit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. racket — a loud noise

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