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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 120 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: current · coach · kick · patient · bound · wound · degree · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bound — tied together
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — to handle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bound — obliged
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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