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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kid — child
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — a friend
  7. land — to come down
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mate — a partner
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. land — a country
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. mate — to breed
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — an amount

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