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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: degree · can · tube · pitcher · fall · lean · clip · patient

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — the season
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — a video
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tube — a container
  11. can — a tin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — for paper
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — to bend
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — the underground

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