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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 · hand · degree · game · firm · tube · bore · mine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — help
  7. tube — a container
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bore — to drill

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