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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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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: leaves · degree · wake · spring · lash · wave · patient · mate

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mate — to breed
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spring — the season
  11. degree — an amount
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a partner
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spring — a coil

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