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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
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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: staff · leaves · stock · safe · court · patient · rash · degree

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — a stick
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of a king
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — a series
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — employees
  24. degree — an amount

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