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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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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pass — a permit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — a country
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. land — to come down
  14. root — of a word
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — ground
  18. net — for catching
  19. bore — to drill
  20. net — in sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — the cause
  23. row — a line
  24. kick — in football

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