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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: bass · lie · lean · degree · net · bore · mug · patient

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a face
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lean — thin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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