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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: hide · saw · degree · deal · hand · rush · press · patient

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. press — a publisher
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — help
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. degree — temperature
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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