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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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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: mouse · patient · cue · cell · bank · degree · net · snap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — a phone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cue — a hint
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cue — a signal

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