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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: degree · cell · bank · roll · staff · bowl · patient · hide

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bank — of a river
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. staff — employees
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — an amount

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