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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. pop — soda
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rash — a series
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bore — to drill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bore — to tire
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  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