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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 · kick · wake · march · degree · coach · rest · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the sport
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — the month
  19. kick — in football
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — from a university
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rest — what's left

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