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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. press — to push
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — an illness
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bore — to drill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stock — goods

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