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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 · perch · bass · bore · bank · stick · field · degree

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. degree — temperature
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bore — to drill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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