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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: patient · jam · chair · prune · drill · degree · arm · cap

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — temperature
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — of ice
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. drill — a practice
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — the fruit

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