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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chest — a box
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — temperature
  10. present — the time now
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. present — a gift
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. present — there
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chest — of your body

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