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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 116 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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — to tire
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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