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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: object · cap · patient · saw · rash · staff · degree · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — from a university
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — a series
  20. object — to protest
  21. staff — employees
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cap — a lid
  24. patient — a sick person

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