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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 116 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 · dip · bowl · club · degree · stand · land · rush

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — to bear
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for dancing
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. club — a group
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bowl — to roll

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