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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · bore · lean · patient · game · degree · chair · plane

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — to be able to
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — a match
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chair — a leader
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — from a university

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