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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: jam · hand · shower · patient · swing · degree · object · row

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — in cards
  9. row — a line
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — a thing
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — to protest
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — in golf
  21. object — an aim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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