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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: lean · land · content · patient · bore · staff · hand · rush

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. content — happy
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lean — thin
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — to drill
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — hurry
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. land — a country

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