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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
468
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: patient · net · degree · chest · root · stem · hand · drill

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — army training
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a plant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. root — of a word
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — in cards
  24. drill — a practice

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