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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: snap · bore · bulb · bark · bay · patient · degree · current

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bulb — for light
  15. current — electric
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — happening now
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bore — gave birth

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