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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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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: fork · tear · object · last · patient · degree · wake · straw

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. degree — temperature
  9. object — an aim
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. last — to go on
  13. fork — in a road
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — to protest
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. last — final
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — finally
  24. object — a thing

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