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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 116 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: bass · root · rule · field · degree · patient · bear · bore

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rule — government
  5. bore — to drill
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. root — of a word
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. rule — a law
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bass — the fish

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