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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — the sport
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — to crush
  18. roll — a cake
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the vegetable

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