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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: chair · game · bore · capital · patient · shower · stem · bowl

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. capital — money
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. shower — rain
  17. capital — a city
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. game — a match

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