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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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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 · pass · march · squash · row · snap · patient · fall

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — a permit
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a line
  6. snap — to click
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — temperature
  9. march — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — an amount

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