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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 120 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: patient · wind · fork · ball · firm · sharp · bay · degree

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ball — a dance
  9. firm — a company
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fork — in a road
  12. firm — decided
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. firm — steady
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. sharp — clever

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