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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: pit · degree · vault · patient · hide · fan · sharp · prune

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. vault — a safe
  4. degree — temperature
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — a hole
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — in a race
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — from a university
  23. sharp — clever
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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