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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 120 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: arm · patient · current · field · degree · snap · hide · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. current — electric
  3. field — farmland
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — a subject
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — an amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. snap — to click
  23. degree — from a university
  24. arm — part of the body

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