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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: suit · patient · bore · stick · fan · prune · degree · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. suit — in cards
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fan — to cool the air

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