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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 116 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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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: saw · wake · fork · patient · deal · last · degree · suit

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. degree — an amount
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — temperature
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — finally
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. last — final
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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