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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: bore · chair · arm · patient · spell · wake · pit · fall

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — to tire
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bore — to drill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fall — the season
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spell — a short time

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