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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · rush · bore · chest · staff · racket · patient · perch

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bore — to tire
  7. degree — temperature
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — an amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — a thrill

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