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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: rash · object · degree · row · sharp · patient · chair · hand

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. object — to protest
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rash — hasty
  14. object — a thing
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. object — an aim
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rash — a series
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — help
  21. row — a line
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. degree — temperature

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