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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: rest · season · mug · degree · patient · can · nail · drill

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — a face
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — of the year
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — army training
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — a break

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