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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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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: deal · rock · trunk · press · game · race · patient · degree

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rock — a stone
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. press — a publisher
  12. race — a contest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. game — a match
  23. degree — from a university
  24. race — humankind

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