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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 116 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: branch · saw · bore · degree · craft · lean · patient · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bore — to tire
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — an amount
  6. craft — a skill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rock — a stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lean — to bend
  16. craft — boats
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rock — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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