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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 120 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: net · staff · degree · chest · bore · patient · plane · bear

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — for catching
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bore — to tire
  6. degree — an amount
  7. net — after costs
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — to drill
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. degree — temperature
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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