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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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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: drill · stem · march · pass · patient · degree · bore · temple

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — to come from

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