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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · row · fan · board · bass · degree · patient · fork

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fork — in a road
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. row — a line
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. board — a committee

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