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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: fan · chair · patient · stand · prune · degree · mark · root

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chair — a leader
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — the cause
  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