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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · can · degree · cabinet · patient · wound · race · fan

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — the arms race
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. can — to be able to
  23. degree — temperature
  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