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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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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: cell · degree · tube · drill · craft · bear · trunk · patient

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cell — a phone
  13. craft — boats
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — a skill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — a handicraft

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