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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.

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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: firm · plane · bore · hand · content · patient · spring · mark

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. content — the amount
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — to tire
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — help
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — in cards
  13. firm — decided
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. content — happy
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. firm — steady
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. plane — an aircraft

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