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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kick · scale · patient · wave · straw · firm · last · pitcher

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. scale — size or range
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — finally
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — a company
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. firm — decided
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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