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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: saw · degree · pitcher · swing · sharp · patient · wake · nail

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wake — a trail
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — in golf
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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