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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: tube · tear · degree · content · ball · safe · patient · mark

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tear — to rip
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ball — a dance
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — the amount
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — the underground
  15. degree — an amount
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — a container
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a grade
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a round shape

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