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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: wake · foot · degree · prune · wind · patient · chest · bore

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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