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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: tear · patient · degree · craft · wave · cell · roll · current

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. craft — boats
  4. roll — a list
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cell — in biology
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — of water
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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