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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 · bore · fall · root · chair · tube · straw · mate

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. root — of a word
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — the season
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — the cause
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — the underground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mate — a friend
  24. straw — a straw man

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