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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · key · rush · patient · degree · bark · safe · rash

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rash — hasty
  7. key — in music
  8. rash — a series
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — for a lock
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — temperature
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — an amount

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