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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: patient · wave · toast · roll · temple · degree · fall · perch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — temperature
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. roll — a list
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fall — to drop
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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