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

Word bank: degree · fall · firm · wave · kick · patient

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — in football
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — the season
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. firm — a company
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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